On the court, NBA players are world-class athletes and the best in their field. However, away from the court, they’re people with flaws just like the rest of us. In fact, there is no shortage of current or former NBA players who have misbehaved or gotten into some kind of trouble away from the court.
Let’s take a look back at some NBA players who engaged in behavior away from the game that was questionable at best and sometimes interfered with their career on the court.
Gilbert Arenas
There was a time when Arenas was one of the NBA’s best scorers. Unfortunately, he also got himself into trouble off the court on multiple occasions. The most infamous incident is when he and teammate Javaris Crittenton reportedly had guns drawn on one another due to an argument.
It was later reported that Arenas frequently stored firearms in his locker, ultimately leading to him being charged with carrying an unlicensed pistol. Arenas was subsequently sentenced to probation and 30 days in a halfway house for the crime.
The NBA also suspended him while investigating his concerning relationship with guns. If that wasn’t enough, Arenas also admitted to keeping dealer plates on his car, allowing him to get away with running dozens of red lights.
Allen Iverson
Iverson’s off-court issues began long before he got to the NBA. While in high school, Iverson was involved in a fight at a bowling alley, ultimately serving four months in a correctional facility, although his felony conviction was later overturned on appeal.
Throughout his playing career, Iverson had a slew of other legal problems. There were allegations of domestic disputes with his wife on multiple occasions. At one point, Iverson was accused of kidnapping his children by keeping them rather than returning custody of them to his ex-wife.
There were also reports that Iverson was behind on childcare payments because he was in deep debt. Even Iverson’s bodyguards faced accusations on multiple occasions of injuring people during altercations, adding to Iverson’s often troubling reputation.
Charles Barkley
Throughout the 1980s and 90s, there weren’t many NBA players more impactful than Barkley. He made 11 straight All-Star Games, won MVP honors in 1993, and remains one of the best rebounders in league history. However, Barkley also had his vices away from the court, specifically gambling.
In 2007, Barkley admitted to losing $10 million gambling, once losing as much as $2.5 million in just a six-hour period. At one point, Barkley was asked if he had a gambling problem, responding that he had a bad habit but not a problem and that he was going to continue to bet on sports and play casino games like blackjack.
Eventually, Barkley was able to acknowledge that he needed to stop, but only after a civil complaint was filed against him by a casino claiming that he owed them hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Nowadays, Barkley might have had a better chance of avoiding a gambling problem. Thanks to online casinos, the best casino games – both card games like blackjack and slot games – are available on mobile devices. Online casinos also do a good job of providing resources for players that help them practice safe gambling habits.
